The achievements of Leinster and Munster in the Heineken Cup took some of the heat off the tournament that fills in the weekends between European rugby – the Magners League. For many a season, the clubs of France and England rather sniffily said how easy the Irish and the Welsh and the Scots had it, being able to caress the best Celtic players through the calendar while they, the grands seigneurs, had to spill their blue blood weekend in, weekend out.

Of course, how much blood – blue, red or fake – was actually lost on the playing fields of England also helped to reduce the condescension. But there's no escaping the feeling that the Celtic league remains cider to the porter of England.

On Friday night, the defending champions, Munster, welcomed Cardiff Blues to the new Thomond Park in Limerick. There were big names missing, but at least their absence was in accordance with the protocol of not playing Lions, rather than giving centrally contracted Celts a night on the couch. So, there was no Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan, Ronan O'Gara, David Wallace or Keith Earls for the home team; no Gethin Jenkins, Martyn Williams or Jamie Roberts for the visiting side.

On the other hand, the large crowd had a chance to admire the work of the new Munster signing from Leinster Felix Jones, at full-back, and an outstanding performance from the open-side flanker Niall Ronan.

They also had a chance to offer a special welcome back to the Lion that never was, Alan Quinlan, the flanker who set the eye-catching trend of last season and copped a longer ban than those who followed him, Sergio Parisse and Schalk Burger. Quinlan, fired by a desire to restore a reputation while there is still strength in his 35-year-old legs, was exceptional, too – a nuisance in the noblest sense.

Munster won easily enough, 24-13, masters of oppressive defence and deadly close to the line, serving up close-range tries by Marcus Horan and Denis Leamy. It was good home-grown stuff, with just a little touch of the imported, although Lifeimi Mafi has been around long enough in the Munster centre to be claimed as a Limerick local.

The Blues have made a faltering start to the season, losing at home to Edinburgh – whose red-hot form, incidentally, continued with a drubbing of Connacht on Friday night – and here, on the road, in Limerick. Edinburgh are the pride of one Celtic capital; the Blues are shuffling uncomfortably in another.

With a slightly overblown fanfare, the Welsh Rugby Union and the four professional regions have declared peace in their time, an end to hostilities that never amounted to much more than a bit of hard staring down the length of a bar. Bar as in where barristers bloom. This is a great age to be a lawyer in rugby.

It was that old tale about player release, more a case of aping England than manning the barricades against the revolting peasants. In the peace treaty, it was the declared wish to reduce the number of imports. If the peasants are to be revolting, they should at least be Welsh. Well, that's fine and ethnic, but without Xavier Rush and Ben Blair the Blues would be in an even greater pickle.

The New Zealanders have been brilliant for their Welsh region, elevating them from the underachievers of Europe to Heineken Cup semi-finalists last season. They should be cleansed with great care.

Also to be handled with sensitivity is Sam Norton-Knight, a two-cap Australian who was handed the No10 shirt when Nicky Robinson signed for Gloucester. Norton-Knight had a debut against Edinburgh so bad that coach and former prop David Young threw his massive frame over him and threatened to smother him with protective kindness. The progress of the new recruit will either be a masterclass in pastoral care or he will be the first to be put back on the boat in accordance with the terms of the peace treaty.

These are early days in the Celtic season and, with a play-off system now in place, there is plenty of time to recover from a poor start. There was, for example, a glimpse – and it was only a glimpse, given the lack of quality possession – of the prodigious talent of Leigh Halfpenny on the wing.

Having caught one high ball and the Munster pack at the same time, the 20-year-old kept his poise under the next examination and set off on a run that left tacklers sprawling. The only problem was, he had brushed into one of his own players at the outset and the referee called the flying Halfpenny back and ordered a scrum – from which Munster scored.

It was that sort of night for the Blues, but Halfpenny – so fresh-faced that he has to show the referee ID before being allowed to play with grown-ups – should be sensational once his forwards sort out their lineout.

So, the Magners League is up and running, full of contradictions – it is, for starters, a domestic cross-border competition. It has its flaws, but it also comes with cheek and daring. It is not the rugby of England or France, but this may be its greatest asset.